The present invention relates to portable self contained apparatus used for the application of bulk adhesive mastic material and roofing materials associated therein.
Roofing materials have been used for centuries to adequately seal a roof structure to prevent the encroachment of water and other elements. These materials have developed over time from straw, thatch and mud type roofs to shingles and roofing felt, along with metal roofs and composite materials such as tile. These materials are all designed to provide a cost effective method of sealing a roofing structure from the elements to prevent inherent damage to the building structure and provide a dry, comfortable living or working environment for the occupants of the structure.
One type of roof commonly used is comprised of roofing material with embedded adhesive material therein. As the roofing material is rolled into place a plurality of propane-fueled flames are employed to heat the embedded adhesive. This type of operation has proven potentially dangerous to the laborers and underlying structure.
Another type of roof commonly used in the commercial roofing industry is a composite roof which utilizes a felt or composite roofing material applied over the roof""s structural surface and secured with an unheated viscous adhesive material such as roofing mastic. The roofing mastic serves to adhere the felt roofing material to the top of the roof structure. Once the felt or other impermeable material is in place, mineral granules or gravel or other similar materials are often applied on top of the completed roofing membrane for protection from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, hail, snow and other environmental conditions.
One significant problem which exists during commercial roofing operations is the application of the adhesive mastic material to a roofing surface, which requires significant volumes of mastic material to be applied to the roofing surface. To accommodate transporting the adhesive mastic material from the ground level to the roofing surface, large cranes and/or self contained truck pumping units are required which are expensive and require a significant capital investment and trained manpower to operate. These self contained units typically weigh thousands of pounds and hold hundreds of gallons of mastic material in one or more compartments. Further, the pumping equipment necessary to pump high volumes of extremely viscous mastic material from a street level to a roofing surface is significant, and the horse power required and fuel associated therein is not cost effective for smaller roofing surfaces. One such apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,347 to Morris, which discloses a roof mastic applicator which is used in connection with a large reservoir positioned on the ground level and interconnected to a larger pump and associated truck to transport the mastic material to a roofing surface.
Accordingly, a significant need exists for a portable mastic application apparatus which may be operated by one laborer and which can be used in conjunction with smaller mastic containers such as five gallon containers which can be transported quickly and easily without the necessity of heavy pumping equipment and trucks. There is an additional need for a system and method for applying the adhesive mastic material to a roofing surface while simultaneously applying the bulk felt roofing material on top of the mastic material at the same time, thus saving significant time and expense. Finally, there is an additional need for an apparatus which can simultaneously apply the roofing mastic material and/or a bulk granular material such as mineral granules, at the same time. Accordingly, an apparatus and associated method which are designed to address these problems are provided herein as set forth below.
It is thus one aspect of the present invention to provide a self contained, portable pumping apparatus which is adapted to apply an adhesive mastic material to a roofing surface, and which can be operated by one laborer. Alternatively, the apparatus may be used to apply sealing or other materials to asphalt driveways, parking lots and other surfaces. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, a hand cart is provided which is controlled by one laborer and which supports a small container of mastic material and an associated pump, which is connected to a discharge manifold. The discharge manifold is designed to selectively apply a predetermined volume of mastic material to a roofing surface, the thickness of which can be controlled by the speed of operation of the self-contained unit. The mastic material is generally stored in a small container such as a 5-10 gallon pail which can easily be transported by one or two laborers to a roofing surface, as opposed to requiring a large pumping unit positioned on the ground level or the lifting of a large bulk container with a crane or other similar device.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a spreading mechanism which applies a consistent thickness of mastic material on the roofing surface. Thus in one embodiment of the present invention a spreader bar is interconnected to the discharge manifold in a downstream position and which simultaneously spreads the mastic material on the roofing surface as it is discharged from discharge ports or a plurality of valves. In a further embodiment of the present invention, an oscillating motion may be applied to the spreader bar which enhances the uniform application of the mastic material to the roofing surface. In addition, the spreading mechanism in one embodiment is capable of articulation, and thus adapted for use on undulating surfaces.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a portable pumping unit which can be controlled from pneumatic compressed air or other readily available power sources common to the construction industry. Thus in other embodiments of the present invention a small gas operated pump may be used or an electric pump with sufficient horsepower to pump a viscous mastic material from a container through a discharge manifold on to a roofing surface. As discussed herein, the term xe2x80x9cadhesive masticxe2x80x9d applies to all types of viscous, adhesive materials commonly used in the construction and roofing trades, as well as sealants for asphalt driveways and other surfaces. One example of such a material is an asphaltic modified bitumen adhesive such as modified bitumen adhesive (MBR) which is manufactured and sold by the Johns Manville(copyright) Companies.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a device which can apply a mastic material and a bulk roofing material such as rolled felt simultaneously. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention a support member is operably interconnected to the frame of the portable apparatus and which extends outwardly in a position immediately downstream from the discharge manifold. As the adhesive mastic is selectively applied to the roofing surface, the bulk roofing material may be rolled on to the roofing surface simultaneously, yet requiring only one laborer to operate the machine. This technique, known commonly as cold adhesion, provides an additional seal and omits the need for propane-fed flames to heat the roofing material in order to melt and liquify entrained bonding material. In addition, less cost and heightened safety and comfort are realized due to the omission of propane and an open flame.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a bulk discharge container may be mounted downstream of the discharge manifold, and which applies a bulk granular material such as mineral granules or gravel. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention the support member may be used to hold a container similar to a fertilizer spreader and which can hold between five and fifty pounds of mineral granules or pea gravel, or other similar materials which can be selectively dispensed on top of the mastic in applications where a felt roofing material or other similar materials are not used, or used in combination therein. Alternatively, the granular materials could be dispensed independently with the same portable machine and without applying the mastic material.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention that the portable apparatus be self propelled to assist the operator. In one embodiment of the present invention, a small motor may be used with associated gears, chains or belts interconnected to the wheels to provide a constant speed of travel, and to reduce the fatigue associated with operating the machine on a hot roofing surface.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a hand held wand which may be interconnected to the discharge end of the pump in combination with the discharge manifold. In this application, an operator may selectively operate the handheld wand to provide a single, selective bead or spray of mastic material along the lap edge of roll roofing in a predetermined location, without utilizing the discharge manifold and associated dispensing ports. In this embodiment, the handheld wand may have a trigger mechanism or other similar apparatus which is used by the operator to selectively control the volume of mastic dispensed from the wand.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a separate manifold that can apply a continuous bead of roofing insulation adhesive to and along the top flanges of a structured steel roof deck so to apply the viscous adhesive in ribbons on varying and selective locations and varying rates and locations for the purpose of installing preformed roof insulation boards.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a pressure enhancement mechanism, thereby decreasing the amount of pressure generation required from the pump. In one embodiment of the present invention a movable platform is provided which is capable of displacing the container relative to a sealing inductor plate. More specifically, a container containing mastic material is placed on the platform which is interconnected to at least one pneumatically driven piston. The sealing inductor plate is adapted with an aperture for the pump interface and is installed on the open container. Pressure imparted on the piston causes the platform to move relative to the sealing inductor plate, thereby increasing the internal pressure of the container to a predetermined amount, in one embodiment to at least about 20 to 40 psi, which assists the pump in its task of transporting the mastic material from the container to the pump suction and discharge manifold. In one embodiment of the present invention the platform is capable of traveling at least about 18 to 24 inches. Since the pressure requirements of the pump are reduced, in one embodiment by at least about 50 percent a smaller, lighter, and less-expensive pump and compressor may be used to achieve the same result as other alternative embodiments. For example, a pump of one embodiment of the present invention is capable of transferring mastic material with a viscosity of at least about 100.000 centinoise at a rate of at least 3 gallons per minute when the ambient temperature is about 50xc2x0 F.
It is still yet another aspect of the present invention to provide performance control and monitoring mechanisms to aid a user in applying adhesive material as described herein. One embodiment of the present invention employs a pressure activated piston to operably engage and disengage, either together or separately, the aforementioned spreading mechanism and discharge manifold. More specifically, a user interface is provided that is capable of altering the vertical placement of the spreading mechanism wherein the pressure applied by the piston can be proportionally altered to accommodate varying thickness of mastic material. An additional user interface may also be employed which regulates the stroke and positioning of the platform with respect to the inductor plate, and wherein the internal pressure of the container will be selectively adjusted. It is also an aspect of the present invention to provide a plurality of gauges or other means wherein the user is able to monitor operational performance such as internal container pressure, spreading mechanism pressure, spreading mechanism location, pump pressure, platform location, or mastic material quantity.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a discharge manifold equipped with a plurality of output mechanisms. Preferably, output nozzles are used which are further equipped with valves such that the user can selectively activate and deactivate the individual output streams to tailor the mastic application for a given task. For example, the application area may call for a right or left biased mastic deposition wherein the user would deactivate the un-required nozzles. Alternatively, a discharge manifold tailored for a specific task may be employed. For example, a plurality of discharge locations may be matched to the top flange spacing of a steel roof deck so that adhesive is only applied where required.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide an application apparatus that is easy to deploy and operate. In one embodiment of the present invention lifting fixtures are employed to the apparatus wherein one or two laborers would be capable of hoisting the apparatus onto an application area such as a roof. In addition, the apparatus is easily controlled by one user wherein a second laborer may be employed to aid in exchanging the container or adding rolls of roofing material for example, thereby reducing total task completion time. Alternatively, a single user could conceivably perform all tasks which would also reduce cost.
Thus, in one aspect of the present invention, a portable apparatus which is adapted for applying an adhesive mastic and roofing material is provided herein, and which comprises:
a frame;
at least one wheel rotatably interconnected to said frame;
a platform interconnected to said frame which is adapted for supporting a container of the liquid material;
a pump interconnected to said frame and comprising a suction end and a discharge end, said suction end operably positioned to communicate with the liquid material;
a container induction plate interconnected proximate to said suction end of said pump for sealingly engaging an open end of the container;
a discharge manifold in operable communication with said discharge end of said pump;
at least one dispensing port in communication with said discharge manifold for discharging the liquid material onto a treatment surface; and
a platform lifting means, wherein said platform travels between a first lowered position and a second raised position while said inductor plate is maintained in a substantially static position, wherein a pressure is applied to the liquid material in the container.